The HyspIRI Mission: Science and Measurements

In 2007 the National Research Council (NRC) released the results from the first Earth Science Decadal Survey (DS) entitled: Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond. As part of the DS the NRC recommended fifteen missions to be implemented by NASA. These missions were arranged in three groups based on launch timeframe with the three groups referred to as Tier I, Tier II and Tier III respectively. The Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) was included in the second group. The global HyspIRI mission provides a unique capability to assess how ecosystems respond to natural and human-induced changes. It will help us assess the status of biodiversity around the world and the role of different biological communities on land and within inland water bodies, as well as coastal zones and at reduced resolution in the ocean. Furthermore, it will help identify natural hazards; in particular volcanic eruptions and any associated precursor activity, as well as wildfires and the carbon emissions from them. The mission will advance our scientific understanding of how the Earth is changing by providing key climate-centric data as well valuable data for science applications with societal benefit such as understanding and tracking dynamic events from volcanoes and wildfires.

The HyspIRI mission includes two instruments: a visible shortwave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometer operating between 0.38 and 2.5 µm at a spatial scale of 60 m with a swath width of 145 km and a thermal infrared (TIR) multispectral scanner operating between 4 and 12 µm at a spatial scale of 60 m with a swath width of 600 km. The VSWIR and TIR instruments have revisit times of 19 and 5 days, respectively. The system also includes an Intelligent Payload Module which will allow custom products to be delivered in near real time.

This presentation provides an update on the status of the mission and in particular some of the precursor airborne activities associated with the mission.